This Bay Area home is two levels—with the upstairs serving as a primary suite. “The homeowner is a very successful financial advisor living with her young daughter and pet doodle, who always requires visitors to say hello first,” says interior designer Bynn Esmond. “Balancing a busy life between her job, daughter, and pet, she loves luxury hotel bathrooms and enjoys relaxing in the tub in the dark.”
The homeowner called on Bynn to bring that experience to life. “The overall goal for the primary bathroom remodel was to make it feel spacious and open, yet dark, luxurious, and elegant,” the designer recalls. “It needed to be a place to escape and relax. Her must-haves included natural marble, a tub, a very dark shower area, and glare-free lighting due to eye sensitivity.”
Bynn was in charge of spatial planning, providing code-compliant drawings for a building permit, interior construction drawings, a custom lighting plan and design, finish selections, 3D visualization, and oversight during construction. “By removing the wall of the existing water closet, shifting the toilet to the opposite wall, and relocating the shower, we opened up the bathroom significantly,” she explains. “We also moved the bathroom door over by about 16 inches, allowing the vanity wall to be the main focal point from the entrance. The homeowner preferred to have design and finish choices limited to three options to simplify decision-making.”
Now, stepping inside the bathroom, you first see the vanity and accent wall. “We used a limestone-like textured ceramic tile from Walker Zanger for the accent and tub walls,” Bynn shares. “The texture and neutral tone of the tile do not compete with the black marble, but allow it to stand out. Tall, recessed medicine cabinets helped lengthen the room.”
Just to the left is the shower—which boasts a luxe, elevated look thanks to the bold marble. “We opted for a frameless enclosure in recessed channels, creating a seamless look that highlights the beautiful vein movement of the black marble,” Bynn explains. “We also brought the glass enclosure up to ceiling height, giving full view of the marble veins while containing water splashes.”
Bynn carved out an alcove for the tub, which is next to the balcony. “We replaced the existing full-height glass blocks with a small window with obscured glass to filter the light,” she says. “Blackout Roman shades help darken the room, and a marble ledge above the tub provides extra space for a book or a glass of wine.” There is also a heated towel rack and walls covered in a Phillip Jeffries paper for added texture and dimension. The final piece of the luxury puzzle is the heated floor tiles, which can be preheated via an app on the homeowner’s phone. “We used epoxy grout [by Mapei] for the tiles to prevent staining, making the grout practically bulletproof once it is dried and cured,” Bynn says.
It took roughly a year from planning to completion, as the county took a bit longer to approve permits. “We ensured all materials were ordered before starting construction, especially the window due to its long lead time. By having everything ready, we completed the messy construction phase in 3 months and the design and finish details in another 2 months,” Bynn explains. “The homeowner is elated with her new bathroom. She loves the mood, the low-maintenance features, and how we tailored the design to her sensitivities. She especially appreciated feeling heard and understood throughout the process.”
